Monday, June 20, 2011

Captain America may be the most famous chopper ever, chrome frame or not , but before Captain America there was Dick Allen's chrome frame chopper. Dick's chopper was another one of those bikes that everybody seemed to dig.

In an earlier post , I mentioned that the Shovelhead that once powered Dick's chrome bike ended up in Joe's Hurst's Hustler. Which brings up.... what ever became of the chrome frame?This collage serves as a refresher, shows some changes, and helps to illustrate a few things.

Joe Hurst has it today. Jim Andrews got it from Dick and then it went to Doc Holiday. It had been stolen at one time too. Joe got it from Doc around 1973, kept it until '84, and then he got it back in '86. It's hard to keep all the years and facts straight but like many bikes (or parts of them), they seem to find their way back to Joe.

I posted this shot of Joe's pad before in hopes that someone would have recognized the twisted cross sissy bar and rear fender.

This first version built by Joe in the early seventies is probably my favorite of all his bikes second only to White Bear. The tall sissy bar and full fender isn't what you'd normally think would work with with the long springer, or what was hip at the time, but somehow, it all works... and to think, at one time I didn't even like chrome framed bikes.

A little later in the Mid Seventies, it got the black treatment and the forks were modified using Honda 750 rear shocks for hydraulic dampening.

Flash forward to December 2010. It's been on the back burner for about the last 20 years, but Joe is now working on it's come back. This time as a Panhead.

That's Dick's original rear fender. The seat was re-upholstered years ago, but it Dick's old seat pan too.

The modified Dick Allen springer. Joe says it's now mounted on the frame. Those Shovelhead cases on the shelf are from Joe's White Bear!

Joe still has the 6 quart oil tank that Dick made. Since all previous versions of the bike had a magneto, there was no need for a battery. Sadly, it probably won't be used this time since Joe is using a five speed with electric starter. The upper holes are for passenger pegs as pointed out in the Choppers Magazine Wheeler Dealer article.

Joe has about everything he needs for the engine and trans so hopefully he'll get it together soon. I'll keep you posted.